Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to hold further D-Day commemorations.

    Anna Soubry

    Following the very successful commemorations to mark this year’s 70th anniversary of D Day we will be discussing with the Normandy Veterans Association how we might approach future commemorations once the Association disbands later this year. We are sure that veterans will continue to return annually as long as they are able and that particular plans will again be made as the 75th anniversary, another significant milestone, approaches.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with Dominic Cummings since Mr Cummings left his Department; and what the purpose of those meetings was.

    Matthew Hancock

    Mr Cummings is an ex-employee of the Department for Education. It is not uncommon for ex-employees to be in contact with Ministers and the Department. As the Secretary of State for Education explained to the House on Monday 16 June, many people seek to visit and contact the Department for Education to exchange ideas with old friends and colleagues.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation in North Korea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We remain extremely concerned by the ongoing situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) especially regarding the nuclear threat and human rights.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2013 annual human rights report listed the DPRK as a country of concern. Compelling reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations, including the curtailment of fundamental freedoms and the continued use of political prison camps, are especially worrying. I met the US Special Envoy for DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, on 6 May to discuss how we can maintain international pressure on this.

    The security situation remains deeply troubling. Recent statements implying that the DPRK is considering a further nuclear test, coupled with the DPRK’s March decision to launch ballistic missiles in clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions and to conduct live-fire artillery exercises, have only served to heighten tensions in the region. The UK continues to closely monitor the situation with our allies.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any phyto-sanitary and plant-disease expertise from the UK has been involved in helping to address the shortcomings identified by the EU Commissioner necessitating the recent ban on importation of mangoes from India.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) has offered to deliver a technical training programme for Indian Plant Health Inspectors to help address some of the issues raised in the previous European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) audits of the Indian plant health export certification systems. A Plant Health and Seeds Inspector from Fera will be also be assisting the FVO when it undertakes its audit visit to India in September.

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which hon. Members he consulted about the consultation on extension of civil partnerships to opposite sex couples.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    On 23 January 2014, when the consultation document was published, I made a Ministerial Written Statement to bring it to the attention of honourable members. This statement was repeated in the House of Lords, by my colleague, Baroness Northover. The publication of the consultation was also announced on the Culture, Media and Sport website. DCMS officials directly contacted around 50 organisations with an interest in the issues and asked other Departments to do the same. Officials also offered meetings to the principal stakeholders, several of which took up the offer, and emailed more than 1300 organisations and individuals who had registered an interest in receiving updates on equal marriage or related issues and highlighted the consultation in the February edition of the Women’s Engagement Newsletter, which is circulated to more than 2000 organisations and individuals.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average ambulance response time for each category of call was in Bolton in each year since 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.

    The median response times to treatment for category A1 calls in the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust2, April 20113 to April 2014

    Month

    Median time (in minutes)

    April 2011

    4.2

    May 2011

    5.0

    June 2011

    5.2

    July 2011

    5.0

    August 2011

    4.7

    September 2011

    4.8

    October 2011

    4.9

    November 2011

    4.9

    December 2011

    5.0

    January 2012

    4.8

    February 2012

    5.1

    March 2012

    5.0

    April 2012

    5.6

    May 2012

    5.7

    June 2012

    5.1

    July 2012

    5.1

    August 2012

    5.2

    September 2012

    5.3

    October 2012

    5.4

    November 2012

    5.4

    December 2012

    5.7

    January 2013

    5.5

    February 2013

    5.6

    March 2013

    5.6

    April 2013

    5.8

    May 2013

    5.4

    June 2013

    5.5

    July 2013

    5.8

    August 2013

    5.7

    September 2013

    6.1

    October 2013

    6.0

    November 2013

    6.1

    December 2013

    6.1

    January 2014

    5.8

    February 2014

    6.1

    March 2014

    6.1

    April 2014

    6.1

    Source: Ambulance quality indicators, NHS England

    Notes:

    1Category A calls are defined as those that are the result of immediately life threatening incidents.

    2North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides services to the Bolton area. Ambulance response times are not readily available for areas smaller than those covered by one Ambulance Trust.

    3Information is not available before April 2011.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what satellites currently use facilities at West Freugh for data transmission.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The satellite reception capability at the West Freugh site is currently used to receive satellite observed environmental data (meteorological, oceanographic and observed weather) from several different satellite sources. I am withholding details of specific satellites as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that patient data extracted under care.data shared with countries inside the European Economic Area cannot be shared outside that area.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Data Protection Act (1998) allows personal data to be transferred to countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) on the same basis as transferring data within the United Kingdom. Personal data can only be sent to a country or territory outside the EEA if an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of individuals when processing their personal data is ensured.

    Every application for information will be considered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), in line with the Data Protection Act, taking account of their location if it is outside the UK.

    Recipients of data from the HSCIC must agree to certain terms and conditions of use, i.e. a data sharing contract, before any data is disclosed. Those terms and conditions include measures intended to safeguard the use of information that may identify individuals, including:

    – limiting the use of information to a specific purpose, which must also be both legitimate, compatible and shared only for the benefit of the health and social care system;

    – prohibiting onward disclosure of information to an additional organisation;

    – ensuring the security of the data once it is in the possession of another organisation that applied successfully for the data; and

    – the right of HSCIC to audit where it is suspected the terms and conditions have not been complied with.

    The HSCIC announced on 17 June 2014 that a new, strengthened audit function will monitor adherence to data sharing agreements and halt the flow of data if there are any concerns exposed. This will include scrutiny of how the data is being used and stored by those receiving it. This will also monitor that data has been deleted when an agreement comes to the end. Any failure on the part of data users to abide by their agreements will entail no further release of data to them.

  • Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-04-29.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Revenue and Customs will share the evaluation of the Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity trial with recognised trade unions.

    Nicky Morgan

    From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

    It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

    In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts [2013/14] into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012–13, which may be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm. All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of patients who were able to see their preferred GP in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Data from the most recent GP Patient Survey found that 55% of patients have a particular general practitioner (GP) that they usually prefer to speak to or see. Of those, 61.7% of respondents said they could see or speak to their preferred GP ‘always or almost always’ or a ‘lot of the time’.